Jaxon B. - Quilt Finished in 2008

Born: December 18, 2004

Illness: Metastatic Stage 4 hepatoblastoma with 2 liver transplants

Jaxon B.'s Story

Written by Jaxon's mom in March 2008

Jaxon was born full term on December 18, 2004.  He is a beautiful, bright and rambunctious boy.  He had a virus the beginning of July 2007 and when he started eating less the pediatrician thought it was part of the virus that he had.  However the third week of July 2007 I noticed a lump at the top part of his stomach area.  The pediatrician we were seeing at the time referred us to a surgeon at Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, MO.  Dr. St. Peter advised us that it was not a hernia as the pediatrician in Chillicothe had originally thought.  After a C-T scan and a biopsy we found out that Jaxon has metastatic stage 4 Hepatoblastoma with 98% of the liver originally involved as well as nodules in both lungs.  We started chemotherapy the beginning of August 2007.  We have continued chemotherapy in hopes of shrinking the lung nodules and that did happen and we were listed for a liver transplant.  On February 5, 2008 Jaxon received the gift of a new liver however the liver had primary non-function and never worked fully.  On February 22, 2008 Jaxon received a second liver transplant.  He is currently in the PICU recovering from the transplant.  His kidneys have stopped working and we will be on Hemodialysis from that.  He has permanent hearing loss and will be wearing hearing aids and foot orthotics for foot drop and both of these conditions were a direct result of chemotherapy.  Jaxon will continue to receive 2 more rounds of chemotherapy and be re-evaluated monthly at Children's Mercy in Kansas City, MO.